Tuesday, April 1, 2008

The first time I signed my name RivkA, it was a typo. (or, perhaps, Divine intervention?)

I liked the look.

I liked the symmetry of the two capital letters at the beginning and end of my name.

More importantly, it seemed like the perfect solution for signing my name the way I pronounce it.

When I sign my name the "old fashioned" way (pen on paper), I write: Rivká.

For years, I was too computer illiterate to find an "á". (Now I'm just lazy...)

Hence, the brilliance of the capital A!

Capital A for emphasis!

Proper pronunciation of my name is important to me. Almost no one gets it right the first time.

Americans are not used to placing the emphasis on the second syllable. And Israelis, well, they think that, just because they speak Hebrew without an accent, they know how to pronounce my name better than I do!

I hate grammar. But I learned the Hebrew names of these grammar rules just so I could "spell it out" to those Israelis.

RivkA is pronounced "milra" (with the accent on the last syllable) rather than "mil'el" (with the accent on the first syllable).

I vaguely remember back 19 years ago (can you believe it's been so long?) that you were "fussy" about your name's pronunciation.

When we reconnected a few years ago, I asked you about the unusual orthogaphy, but you just told me "That's the way you like it," and I've tried to be makpid ("cautious"? "observant"?) of your wishes since then.

I'm glad that I finally stumbled across this explanation.

It's for similar grammatical accuracy that I insist on both the wyeand the a in my own transliterated name....

I love you RivkA. It is because of this post that our correspondences started and thus also our friendship, all because I wanted to know how to say my name in Hebrew... Divine Ispiration!!! Yes, in more was than one!!! I love you I love you and I miss you!!!

You asked....

Israel Time

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For newcomers who know, or don't know, me:

I am a Red-Head (to know one, is to love one), Zionist (last of a dying breed), Idealist (can't help it, I still want to change the world), Enthusiastic People Person (love to meet you!), Mom (my kids are EVERYTHING to me), Wife (married to my best friend), and Cancer Survivor (read on!).

Cancer History in 3 sentences or less:

Diagnosed with DCIS (stage ZERO breast cancer) at age 39 (June 2005). Three surgeries and 2 years later (July 2007)... I became a statistical anomaly: breast cancer mysteriously metastasized to my bones, liver and lungs. 2 years later (July 2009), we discovered metastases in my brain.